Day 5 - IFT and Me

Tom Mclaughlin’s visit was especially interesting. I enjoyed hearing about the union perspective on bargaining issues. I liked how he talked about how he worked with the unions. He approaches negotiations by asking the bargaining units what they want him to do. He only gives them the assistance they ask for and will become as involved as they wish. He spent a lot of time discussing the political aspect of the IFT and the AFT. This was interesting because I tend to ignore much of the political aspect of education. He talked about how much our lives (educators) are affected by political issues in education. He encouraged us to pay more attention to the political issues that affect education. The issue of retirement incentives or bonuses was especially interesting because it developed into a lengthy conversation about how this filters out to everyone. The information offered by him was insightful and helpful for the future as we look to becoming superintendents.